The Beginning of Forever
by ox-dancindarlin-xo
Summary: What if Bella had never jumped? If she hadn't jumped - then Edward wouldn't have gone to the Volturi and she would have stayed with Jacob. Well in this story; Bella never jumped. *New Moon AU*
1. The Letter & The Dream

**Disclaimer: ****All rights and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Nothing is mine but the creativity and storyline.**

**WARNING: This is MAJOR **_**New Moon **_**AU. If you are Team Edward or an Edward/Bella shipper, I HIGHLY suggest you close this page down now. For those Team Jacob or Jake/Bella shippers reading this – **_**enjoy**_**! :D**

**_* –writing– = Crossed-off_**

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_What if Bella had never jumped_?

If Bella had never jumped, then Alice wouldn't have seen her die. Then Edward wouldn't have had to call to check in. Then Jacob wouldn't have answered and told him that Charlie was arranging a funeral. Then Edward wouldn't have gone to the Volturi. Then Bella would never have had to leave.

_Then Bella and Jacob would have ended up together._

Well in this story – Bella never jumped.

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_Bella,__  
_–_Words can't describe how I feel for you_–  
–_If I was to sum you up in one word it would definitely_–

Jacob sighed once again, his hot breath fanning out the millions of paper before him – some crumpled into little balls, some ripped up into little pieces, some just laying about; all with black ink violently scratched out over the page.

The only word that seemed to remain un-defaced was _her _name – Bella.

Thinking the name only made him sigh again, this time a different sigh. The previous had been of frustration, a _fierce_ frustration. But the second had been different. More different than anyone could imagine.

He had had a long time to think about it. A couple of months, exactly. Months of gruelling training, of frightening experiences and self-exploration. Because just before those couple of months, he'd thought he'd known exactly where his future was heading.

He'd thought of it many times. They'd crop up in his dreams – his most _fantastic_ dreams – and be the first thing he thinks of in the morning and the last thing before his head drops to the pillow. It had been the same every time, with no alterations whatsoever. It felt so real. So real that when he woke up, that little wave of devastation would crash over his system just long enough for it to be replaced with the same blissfulness he'd felt in the dream. For he would realise; a dream that felt _that_ real – it had to come true.

It _had_ to.

There he would stand, Jacob Black, large and proud. The superiority radiated from his every pour as if it had been there from birth. But it wasn't an intimidation or an act of arrogance – it was just him. Jacob Black, with the wrinkles aging around his eyes and the corners of his mouth. With his still-strong hands, balled into fists at his sides, turning his aged face up towards the sun while the soft wind bellowed out his long, grey hair behind him. He was the perfect image of his father, Billy Black.

The sun seemed to be just setting, and the sky burned an amazing orange-red colour, with the pink clouds floating around like candy-floss. He could _feel _the wind – smell it, also – even in his dream-state. It was amazingly _real_.

Then his head would turn eastwards, and another figure would come into view.

_Her_.

His heart started hammering against his chest, the same way it did every time he saw her. But although he felt nervous enough around her to carry a brown paper bag in his back pocket, he was still confident enough to be himself. To crack jokes and make her smile – _laugh_, along with her.

Dream-Jacob's face broke out into a dazzling smile upon seeing her. It lit up the day even more than the quickly setting sun did from behind them. The figure walked up to him, until finally coming out of its silhouette form and into full-view.

She seemed to take his breathe away.

But as he inhaled sharply, his dark, heavy eyes still danced with their excitement and thrill. It still reflected the young-Jacob, the Jacob desperately trying to write love-letters to the one woman who had thoroughly taken his heart for her own. And she was stood there. Before him.

Isabella Black. His wife.

As much as the lines around her face indefinitely aged her, both her hair and eyes seemed to hold onto their chocolate brown colour, without a grey or dim-colour in sight. It still reflected the young-Bella, the Bella who had desperately tried to get hold of her best friend, young-Jacob, who refused to talk to her, as much as it wretched at his thumping heart.

She was beautiful. She was _his_.

The smile that broke out across her aged face echoed Jacob's perfectly. Even with the smallest of acts, anyone could see that they were meant to be together.

Dream-Jacob extended his muscular arm and offered his large hand to his wife. Dream-Bella took it, unhesitant, and stepped up to join her husband. Their hands remained entwined by their sides, and they both gazed up into the now-pink sky.

The colour was fading. The dream was ending soon.

But just then, a loud giggling was heard from not too far away. And then another set, overlapping the first. Until finally, three sets of giggles began to grow closer, louder, out in the trees. Then Jacob felt another rush of emotion overcome him, but it wasn't of frustration or the enormous love he felt for Bella – it was a love even greater than that, a love that kept him firmly rooted to the ground. It was beyond Bella; it was better than that. Better than Bella.

Just as the questionable voice began to sound in Jacob's head (_what in the world could be better than __**Bella**_?) the unsounded question was answered when three, small children came bowling out from the forest towards them; the giggling figures unmasked once again.

The bubble of surmounting love burst in his chest and filled his whole body as he recognised the giggling children as his _own_ – his and Bella's.

And then he knew them. He recognised them as if they had been stored away in his heart for a very long time. Because of course he knew them. And he already loved them.

His two, strapping sons, both with his dark, long hair and tall stature. It was as if he was looking into a mirror, back at himself. They were _exactly _like him. The exact copy of who – _what_ – he used to be. He would have perhaps mistaken them for twins if there hadn't been a significant change in height. His tallest son, also, seemed to have a full set of small teeth, while his other son was missing his two front ones. And considering as the eldest was a few years older and a little more matured, Jacob knew exactly that he would be a second Billy Black as he grew older.

But as he peered into the face of his younger son, he saw a hint of his mother in there, and his memory flashed back. His eyes could have pricked up with tears if he wasn't so defeated with joy.

Both his sons wrestled playfully, rolling around on the floor in such a way that it reminded him of the way he used to wrestle with _his_ brothers.

But then he saw his third child. His daughter, her skin glowing a lighter colour than her brothers that it could have only been inherited from Bella. And her eyes so chocolate brown that he was certain that if he looked to his wife he would see the exact pair of eyes staring back at him. But her hair wasn't ask dark as his, but darker than Bella's. It was somewhere in-between, and that just made the overpowering love even stronger. And it was full of springy curls, mimicking her grandfather Charlie's.

He knew, right then, that this wasn't the end. This was the beginning of his life with Bella.

The beginning of _forever_.

And then, the image seemed to fade away, his children's giggles fading off into the distance, taking all the colour and any feeling of bliss away with it, and the last thing he could feel was the gentle squeeze of the hand from his wife – before his eyes opened and sorrow overtook his system.

He growled between his teeth and ferociously crumpled up the piece of paper he had been writing on before throwing it across the room, and taking the last sheet of paper he had from the other side of the desk and writing the much-longed-for words on it.

_Bella,  
Whoever said that you have to imprint to love someone was lying. Because I love you, without a doubt, more than I have ever loved anything before in my life.  
Jacob_

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_**A/N: Oh, dear. Nasty me, I know. Well, my first Twilight fanfic. :) Whaddaya think so far? Is it OK? Should I change some stuff? Was that Jacob-dream-stuff too fake? Or not real enough? Or... what?**_

_**Um... I'm not sure whether I should keep this as a WONDERFUL one-shot or take it farther into a chapter-story... But if I was to make it a story I'm not sure what to write. I'm WAY better at one-shots, so... Hmm... What do you guys think? Story? Or keep as one-shot?**_

_**But if you decide you want it a story, PLEASE, **__**PLEASE**__** message me what you would want the storyline to be. It would be MUCH appreciated, and I will give you credit for your idea! :D**_

_**Review, please! And Jacob will visit you in your dreams tonight! He he.**_

_**Kelly xxx**_


	2. The Nickel & The Pin Head

**Disclaimer: ****All rights and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Nothing is mine but the creativity and storyline.**

**A/N: Um... Some people have followed me up on my question about whether or not to continue this as a story or just a one-shot, well... I'm adding an extra chapter! Who knows where it will go from there?**

**WARNING: PLEASE remember that this story takes place during New Moon, and some time afterwards, and it is MAJOR AU and Team Jacob. So leave now if you don't like either of the previous.**

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It had taken me slightly by surprise. But you really wouldn't have expected it to. I mean, I'd ran around with vampires for a long time before I found out Jacob was a werewolf, so receiving a letter from him wasn't the most shocking thing in the world.

But I couldn't help but be a little confused when Embry delivered it to me.

"Hey, Bella," He'd said down the phone in his cheery voice when he'd called.

"Oh, hey, Embry. What's up? Is Jacob OK?" The words had just slipped from my mouth, as if they were made of silk. But the only person I've ever met whose voice seemed to flow like _actual _silk turned out to not actually be a person at all – and left a gaping hole in my chest. A hole that Jacob was healing and he didn't even know it.

It wasn't as painful to talk about them now. The Cullens, I mean. Before Jacob, I couldn't even bear to think of them without the hole in my chest firing up as punishment. But now that Jacob was back in my life, putting me back together piece by broken piece, the hole seemed to be only the size of a nickel now, and instead of burning, it just tingled – letting me know it was still there, that they existed.

And I hadn't been having nightmares as regularly now. Even when I did I was able to jolt myself awake before the screaming started. And they weren't as vivid now... Weren't as hot, as if they were burning. They seemed far off and distant dreams, but they were always about _them_. Until the werewolves invaded the fringes of my brain, of course, and they would shield me from harm.

But I was just thankful that I had developed a mechanism in my brain that triggered my awakening just as Edward bared his glistening teeth and pounced at Jacob–

"Yeah, Jake's fine," Embry had assured me over the phone. It was helpful to hear this, as I hadn't seen Jacob for a few days. If they hadn't taken Victoria out already, I would probably be itching to get over there to be with him, but seeing as any threat to Jacob's life was gone for the moment, it was a little easier to be apart from him. "Um..." Embry had went on, seeming a little hesitant now, "...Would it be okay if I came by? Jake wants me to deliver something to you..."

This was the point my confusion kicked in. "Why can't he deliver it himself?" I'd asked, curiously.

I heard someone hiss something inaudible on the other line for a moment, and at that, Embry sighed. "He's... _busy_ right now, Bella." Something about the tone of his voice made me suspect immediately that Jacob wasn't busy at all. But Embry quickly continued, as if he could tell the nickel-sized hole in my chest had started tingling again, "But he said he'd come by to see you later."

I nodded once to myself, just to pull myself together.

_Jacob had promised_, that little voice said in the back of my head, _he promised to never leave you – he will keep that promise_, and soon, the hole returned to normal and the tingling sensation faded away.

"Okay, sure," I told him, still slightly confused, but reassured, "come on over."

"Great!" Embry said, and I knew he was smiling. I heard the phone click into place and hung up myself.

It didn't take long for Embry to reach my house. I had just opened the door to step onto the porch and wait for him, when he came speeding out of the trees up the road beside my parked truck.

I waved at him, and I heard his soft chuckle as he bound towards me, slower this time.

Pretending to look at an invisible watch on my wrist, I joked "Three and a half minutes. New record." Embry grinned widely.

He shrugged his broad shoulders casually as he replied, truthfully, "I actually ran down in wolf form – down the fringe of the trees. It's faster that way."

I nodded once again, and then my eyes flickered to a rolled up piece of paper in his left hand. He noticed immediately, and his grin faltered slightly, before he held out his arm and handed it to me.

Before I could so much glance at the paper, he began speaking, his voice low and soft, "If Jake asks – I didn't read it. But, err..." He paused, and I eyed him suspiciously, "...you might want to read it inside."

My poor mind didn't have time to make sense of this before he turned and started jogging lightly away, and as he disappeared into the trees, I heard his feet gaining speed and then a loud ripping noise. He had phased.

I sighed lightly to myself, before I looked down at the paper in my hand. What could be so important that Jake couldn't deliver this himself?

I pushed that nagging little voice to the back of my mind as it spat cold things at me. I knew Jacob would never do any of those things. He did it once; but that was when I never understood. Now I understood everything, and Jacob promised to always stay by my side, no matter what.

In his words, he had actually said that he would never '_pull an Edward_' on me.

Chuckling away the light tingling sensation, I turned and went back into the house to read Jacob's note.

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He answered before the first ring had even finished.

"Hello?" Jacob's voice was unsure and breathy, as if he had just ran to reach the phone. I chuckled a little, because I knew – even in my confused state – that that was exactly what he had done.

"Hey, Jake," I said, softly, easing him in. _I_ didn't even know why I had called, let alone Jacob know. But maybe he had picked up something with those super-sensitive werewolf-senses of his. You know, like, '_ooh, my Jacob-sense is tingling_'.

He sighed, long and hard. Somehow, it didn't ease the nickel-sized hole; it just made the tingle come back. "Bella," He breathed. It wasn't a question, it wasn't a statement, it was just a... name. _My_ name.

I shuffled uneasily on the spot, looking out of the window infront of me and into the trees I'd watched Embry disappear into just a few minutes ago. "Can you come over?" I asked, pulling a face. The hole in my chest seemed to peel away its edges, and I was finding it difficult to breathe.

There was a rattling on the other line, and I guessed that Jacob must have nodded. I waited a moment, but when I heard an anxious swallow that I probably wasn't meant to hear, I went on, just as uneasily, "Okay. See you in a bit."

For once, I was the first one to hang up.

Jacob didn't wait long. And I didn't blame him. If I was in his situation, I'd be eager to find out what was going on, too. So when he came speeding out of the trees five long minutes later, I didn't smile or wave like I had to Embry. I didn't say a word until he was close enough to me for it to be necessary that my neck crane back all the way just so I could see his face.

"Hey," was all I said.

"Hey," was all he said in reply.

It took him a moment (longer than I'd thought, actually) to start rambling like I'd expected him to.

"Listen, Bella, that note is one-hundred per cent legitimate, okay?" He got out quickly, the words loud and fast as if they were just tumbling from his mouth, "I meant every word I said and I know that you just want us to be friends but that was a long time ago, well, _alright_ a couple months ago, but so much has changed! I mean, Victoria's gone, and those bloodsuckers haven't shown any sign of ever coming back, so I didn't think this would class as stepping over the line and I completely understand if..."

His train of thought trailed off as my laughing interrupted him. It had started as little giggles at around about 'well, alright a couple months ago' and I was now howling inexplicably. Well, not _actual _howling – that was Jacob's job. But laughing so hard it began to hurt my stomach.

He waited a second, but eventually he snapped, "What's so funny?"

The hostile tone of his voice snapped me out of it and I was able to recompose myself. It wasn't nice of me to laugh at him like that when he was, basically, pouring his heart out. I immediately regretted it, but a small smirk still played on my features as I explained why.

"Nothing is funny, Jacob." I told him, smiling up into his confused face. He looked so much like Billy when he furrowed his brows in bewilderment. "It's just... You felt the need for a letter?"

He opened his mouth to speak for a moment, but then a smile replaced it instead and his face softened out. He was back to _my_ Jacob.

I chuckled a little and he joined in, his Jacob-grin that made the sun shine fanning out across his cheeks. He shrugged uncomfortably as he answered, looking to his feet, "Yeah. Cliché, I know, but whaddaya gonna do?"

My grin smoothed out then, until my face was completely plain once more. When Jacob glanced up at my face again, he realised I wasn't smiling, and I could tell from the pain in his eyes that he was expecting the worst.

There was just the sound of the wind for a second, but eventually I whispered, meaningfully, "I guess I'm gonna do this." And at that, I stood up on the very tips of my toes and pressed my lips to Jacob's ever so slightly. Thank God his head was already bowed a little, or I would never have reached.

I retracted quickly, my cheeks flaring up. It felt better to kiss Jacob's hot lips than the stone cold ones of Edward Cullen. It made me feel... more human.

When I glanced back up to Jacob's face, his eyes were still closed and his lips were forming a small 'o', as if he was finding it difficult to absorb what had just happened.

To be honest, so was I. Why was this so easy? Was it Jacob? Everything seemed easier with Jacob... But why was it so simple, so _necessary_? As if I'd been meant to do that since the day Edward left me. I thought that perhaps it was fate that Sam Uley had found me, of all people. It was an immediate connection to Jacob; if not at that exact time than it would be later. Maybe now _was_ later.

Was it time to move on with Jacob? _My_ Jacob? My personal sunshine, my best friend...

When his eyes opened again I knew the exact answer to that question.

I didn't give him any time to react further, because I declared, blissfully, "I love you too, Jacob Black!" and I threw my arms around his thick neck and kissed him again, right on the lips. But this time he defrosted and in a split second his arms were around my back, holding me closer. He was so warm.

The kiss broke, but I still held on to him as if my life depended on it. It was only then when I realised that my feet were off the ground, and I was being spun, round and round so fast the background was a blur. But it didn't matter. I didn't even feel dizzy. Because I was with Jacob, and the only thing that mattered was him.

And you remember that nickel-sized hole? Yeah... it's about the size of a pin-head now.

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_**A/N: Aww, sweet. :) I think I may continue this. Perhaps in Jake's POV next... Hmm...Yeah, that'd be cool. Let's peer into the mind of Jacob Black. ;D**_

_**God, I envy Bella.**_

_**Review please! I really want to know what you guys think.**_

_**Kelly xxx**_


	3. The Couch & The Mischief

**Disclaimer: ****All rights and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Nothing is mine but the creativity and storyline.**

**WARNING: Okay, this is the third chapter, guys. I think any Team Edward or Bella/Edward-shipper would have fled screaming by now. I'm not even gonna bother. XD**

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Three months. Three months since Bella got my letter. Three months since she admitted she loved me back. Three months since she threw her arms around me and kissed me. Three months since the beginning of forever started.

Two months. Two months since I bought the ring. Two months since I made that life-changing decision.

One month. One month since our moon-lit walk. One month since I got down on one knee and asked Bella to marry me. One month since she said yes. One month since she threw her arms around me and kissed me. One month since the beginning of_ forever_ started.

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"Jake," Bella droned, her voice as low as a whisper, "Charlie's gonna be back any minute." I just chortled at her breathily, and intentionally let my white-hot breath incinerate the patch of her neck I was nibbling at.

As if Charlie hadn't seen any of this before. He actually liked seeing Bella with me, to be perfectly honest. And he didn't try to hide it. He didn't really like Edward – and he never did try to hide _that_, either.

Bella and I hardly spoke of Edward and the Cullens. The only time they seemed to prop up was when I was going out on official wolf business and we had to ask Bella if she knew these vampires. Bella may not be with them anymore but the treaty still stands.

If she didn't, we pounced. If she did, and she trusted them, we laid back and let them know – _very politely_ – that this was _our_ territory and if they lay one more stony foot on our land we would eat their toes for breakfast, understand?

Okay, fine. Not entirely politely.

Bella giggled slightly as I took my hands from her waist and slid them down to caress her butt. She twisted her neck away from me in her laughter, knowing that it irritated me. So I squeezed – not entirely gently, I admit, but Bella never complained – her butt and she just giggled even further. Her squirming increased.

"Jake!" She exclaimed, her giggling caught up in her words so she made my name sound like it had more than one syllable, as I caught up her wrists and dove back into her neck.

We swayed on the spot for a moment, not entirely balanced in this position, but Bella kept squirming and giggling, her chest reverberating from each laugh and bubbling up to meet mine. I always loved when she laughed like that. I'd never really seen her laugh that much with Edward, so it was sorta my personal goal to get as many laughs out of her as possible. Edward was always so intense.

So, in wanting to reach my goal, I chuckled a little along with her, knowing how much my laugh got to her. She once explained to me that my laugh was like a ray of sunshine to her, and it always reminded her of _her_ Jacob – whatever that meant. So whenever I laughed, she laughed, too, and in her state of hysteric giggles at this moment, my own added chortle was enough to make her squeal.

And that she did. She squealed in such a high-pitched sound that I was sure all my brothers would have heard it if they were in their wolf-form. Or any other dog in the US of A, actually. Paris Hilton's Chihuahua must be peeing itself with excitement right now.

But little did she know that my acute hearing also picked up on it, making my instincts kick in, so I pulled her gently by the wrists I was still holding, closer to me. Of course, we were already off balance and this jerk of movements along with her squirming and giggling wasn't exactly the best concoction, so involuntarily – we fell.

Good thing we were in the living room and the couch was right behind us, otherwise we would have fell backwards onto the floor.

I knew immediately that we were falling, but I wanted to get more giggles out of Bella, so when she began falling backwards, I fell forward with her, all the while careful not to crush her with my weight. Her knees buckled on the arm of the couch and her head softly hit the cushion.

The shock caught her for a moment; I saw that in her face. It was actually quite amusing. But quickly she realised what had happened and burst into her hysteric laughter again, and I couldn't help but chuckle along with her once more. She didn't squirm under me now, even though I still held softly onto her wrists.

Our laughter died down after a minute or so, until we were just laying there together, silently looking the other right in the eyes.

Bella's eyes flickered to my mouth for just a minute, and the wolf inside me began to howl. She didn't know it, but whenever her eyes flickered like that, my heart would speed up and my hands would become clammy. I could never show this, of course, because I was supposed to be very confident and outgoing. So instead of letting her catch on about my sweaty hands, I freed her wrists of my fingers and reverted back to her waist instead. At the exact same moment, I lowered my head just the slightest and my lips caught hers. And in that same moment, also, her arms locked around my neck and she was kissing me back, urgently.

On countless occasions I'd kissed Bella and touched her like this. And on countless occasions she had kissed me back forcefully, as if her need was greater than mine. So why did it always make my heart thud brutally against my ribs?

I don't know how long we lay there for, just kissing, on Charlie's couch, but eventually, the door clicked open and footsteps came cheerily into the lobby.

"Bells, I'm back, honey!" Charlie called out, presumably up the stairs where he thought Bella may be.

There was a sucking sound, like a plunger being yanked off a wet surface, and Bella hissed ferociously into my ear, "Jake, get off."

I just laughed breathily at her (just like I always do when Charlie is about to catch us making out) and started kissing that same spot on her neck as before. It was starting to look a little red, now.

"Jake, I'm serious, stop it, now," Bella hissed again, her irritated tone fading away as my tongue caressed her skin. I'd never really known why my tongue had this effect on Bella. Was it because it was hotter than the rest of my body? But Bella shuddered beneath me and seemed to forget that Charlie had just come in.

There was a knocking and shuffling sound, and I supposed that Charlie had taken off his jacket and hung up his guns.

"Bells?" He called out again.

The use of her name snapped her back into reality, and she started hissing at me again. She must have realised by now that it was a lost cause. Charlie knew that there was more to our relationship that just this. Hell, he'd been _so_ happy when we announced our engagement, happier than I'd ever seen him. Happier than Renee had been, to be honest.

So Bella should have known that he wouldn't be bothered about us being tangled up on his couch like this.

"Bell– Oh, hey, kids." Charlie said, and I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled through my system and onto Bella's neck as he came in.

"Hey, Dad," Bella said back, in that nervous tone that I always adored. I knew that her cheeks would be blazing up by now. Then her tone changed, to one of a person being crushed slowly, "Jake, get off me, please."

I played along. Of course I wasn't crushing her, I was very careful with my weight. My knees were holding me up away from her, and she hadn't complained before. But, of course, Charlie was here now. And I had to be a gentleman.

God, how did Bella live with that bloodsucker? He always insisted on stopped their business, whatever that might have been (I shuddered in my own skin), before Charlie came in. I'm sure Charlie preferred someone like me, rather than a centuries-old _gentleman_ to be dating his daughter.

Or _marrying_ her, I should say.

I shifted off her for a moment, looking all sullen, and counted down the seconds before I heard Charlie speak again.

"Oh, no, that's fine. You kids are engaged now; it's more than to be expected. I think I'll go visit Billy. See ya, Bells. Bye, Jake."

And then he was gone.

Like always.

I grinned down triumphantly at Bella, and she just rolled her eyes at me. I dove back into her neck again, and her fresh giggles made my heart run wild.

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_**A/N: Hmm... Kinda pointless, yes, but don't you just LOVE the fluffiness? ^_^ I sure do! I don't know what I'm gonna do for the next chapter... I'll think of something, just for you guys.**_

_**I hope you're all enjoying this, and I'll try and update as soon as possible. I would really like some more reviews, though. Love you!**_

_**Kelly xxx**_


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